best language to program in and when to get a patent.

[tiger86]

Okay so I am designing a game (that's why I am in this forum.) I want to know from people with experience what language is the best to code in? I see a lot of sites code in flash; though some of them are on phtml pages. Any info will be helpful!!

[tiger86]

Also when to get the game patented and I can't find a site on phtml I have looked I am sure it uses the HTML DOM but besides that I am lost.

[sasuke2910]

ok then flash is probobly the best/easiest way to make web game, your second choise should probobly be java

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Langauge, it's not a programing language at all it just a markup

HTML can create websites like the page you seeing

I don't know about HTML DOT but I'm guessing it's the same consept

Technicly you can make a game in HTML or rather a bunch web pages with links in them

I hope this helps and sorry for my horrible spelling

[tiger86]

I don't mind your spelling at all it is pretty good! Thank you for replying! PHTML actually is a format that can be used with PHP so I guess it is a mixture of html and php. The HTML DOM is not a language either it just allows you to create such things as Dynamic Hyper Text Markup using javascript and php. I am going to use flash I just have one last question before I put this board to rest. Do I need a patent for my game or does a copyright work just fine?

[humbug]

Unless you are using someone else's stuff in your game you should be fine with copyright. Careful submitting your game to certain sites as you might be giving them copyright permissions that you don't want to. It should also be pretty easy put something in the credits saying where the game is being hosted and that if it's not on one of those places it's being copied without you knowing it if your worried.

[michinobu_zoned]

I don't mind your spelling at all it is pretty good! Thank you for replying! PHTML actually is a format that can be used with PHP so I guess it is a mixture of html and php. The HTML DOM is not a language either it just allows you to create such things as Dynamic Hyper Text Markup using javascript and php. I am going to use flash I just have one last question before I put this board to rest. Do I need a patent for my game or does a copyright work just fine?

How do you write a game in flash??? I never seen the language, is it relatively easy?

[jbennet]

You cant patent a game. Thats because its defined in law as a mathematical algorithim rather than a design or process.

You can however, copyright it.

PHTML actually is a format that can be used with PHP so I guess it is a mixture of html and php

Wtf? PHP application output is rendered by the server into HTML for the client.

[MattEvans]

You can patent software in the US, but (rightfully!) not in Europe.

Also, there's very little point patenting an entire game, it's too broad, e.g. if you patent a whole game, I'd only have to change a few things to release a very similar but technically non infringing game. You have to be able to write a document which explains, in excrutiating detail, exactly what part/concept the patent covers, and why, and in which circumstances, that part/concept is original.

Instead, you'd generally patent all of the small aspects of the game, so that I couldn't release anything which incorporated those small aspects (without getting prior agreement from you). E.g. you might patent the concept of a "button which when clicked on invokes an action in a program", so that I couldn't use that construct anywhere without your permission.

But, with something like that (and probably most things that you, or even those who actually go so far as to file these things) consider patenting, there's very usually something(s) you've got the idea from, e.g. some prior art. Technically the existance of such prior art should invalidate any subsequent patent application, but there are occasions where they do get granted regardless (with enough jargon & legalese you can make just about anything sound original).

It's quite disgusting, IMHO, since a company can get away with taking legal ownership, and sole licensing rights, of some technique that they never originally developed in the first place, meaning no-one else can use that technique, even though that company relied on the technique already existing! (That said, I don't mind so much when a company actually DOES develop the thing it patents, and when that thing is not some blatently obvious combination of simple existing things)

You get copyright for "free", in terms of effort. Anything you've done is copyright of you unless you state otherwise. Protecting your copyright is another matter entirely..

[Ezzaral]

A recent Federal Circuit court ruling may be the end of software patents in the US. Of course, we'll have to wait to see how the patent lawyers and lobbyists fare in fighting it off.

[michinobu_zoned]

I think the original poster had meant to say "copyright". Aren't patents for things like inventions?

[jbennet]

not in the US

look up the microsoft-novell patent agreement and the whole SCO controversey and you will see what i mean...